Been stupid busy for weeks, annoyingly enough... But I've completed one of the projects I've been working on for quite a while and sent it off to the client, while another is coming along nicely, so I had a few moments to jot down some wordz. As a result, this is the result 
More will be along in due course, as is the way of things...
As their group sat down in the Leaky Cauldron, shown to a table by a somewhat visibly-nervous Tom the bartender, everyone else in the place was watching them while doing their best not to make this obvious. They weren't very good at that, Hermione thought with an inner smirk as she looked around. Wizards in general were fairly bad at being discreet at the best of times in her view, having seen far too many times how they behaved around Harry, and the lack of practice keeping themselves to themselves was quite apparent. Skitter definitely noticed, she was absolutely sure, but didn't say anything.
She
did turn her head very slowly and deliberately to face one specific wizard who was gaping at them in a more blatant manner than the rest, which caused him to pale to the point he was nearly transparent, finish his beer in one gulp, and scuttle out the door with unseemly haste. Which was absolutely hilarious to watch, it had to be said.
Luna's father watched with a distinctly approving and somewhat amused expression, and both Luna and Harry were grinning widely. Her own parents just smiled a little and went back to examining the menu, having apparently decided to simply roll with the day. Which seemed eminently sensible in her opinion. She picked up the menu in front of her and studied it, feeling abruptly hungry.
She was trying not to think about the very brief and very final fight in the street a little earlier. After the last few years, and especially the previous night, she was hardly new to defending herself from someone trying to harm or even kill her, but this had been the first time she'd almost instantly just jumped straight to lethal spells. One stunner, one death eater down, then the moment it became clear that those bastards were trying to kill them all, she'd simply decided on the spot that if they wanted to do that, she was happy to reciprocate. And she had a pretty good idea she knew a lot more lethal spells than most people did…
It was still somewhat sobering to know that she was prepared to go that far so fast, though. Hermione was well aware that she had a certain pragmatism where it came to defending herself or those she cared about, but she'd done what she could to keep this under control. It was much too easy to overreact to a threat, and she liked to think of herself as someone who thought things through and didn't just go for the easiest option.
But those daft buggers had tried to kill not only her, but her parents. And Harry. And Luna.
She had her limits, and they'd passed those in a blur. And after last night… well, it was fair to say she had absolutely zero patience with terrorists any more. The fewer death eaters around the happier she'd be, and it baffled her why they hadn't been properly dealt with the first time around. People like Fudge had a lot to answer for in her opinion.
And she was growing, the more she thought about it, more and more suspicious of Dumbledore too. Something was very wrong with all too many things, and the Headmaster had his wrinkly fingers in all of them.
She found it interesting that Harry and Luna had apparently also come to the same conclusion that the only good death eater was a dead one, and the latter also seemed to believe that you could improve on this by spreading them all over the street as a fine mulch… Hermione made a mental note to ask Luna what spell she'd used, since it wasn't one she was familiar with and it worked
spectacularly well.
Beyond that, she was highly impressed with Luna's father's abilities. Luna had said a few times, rather vaguely, that her father had fought the first time Voldemort kicked off, but she hadn't mentioned that the man was very obviously
really good at combat magic. His reaction time was incredible, faster than even Harry who was exceptionally quick, and she hadn't heard him utter a single spell. Wordless casting at that level was highly unusual and something she was determined to learn herself, as it seemed to have a lot of advantages.
The girl made another mental note to see if she could ask Xeno Lovegood some questions…
Glancing at her own father, who was pointing out something on the menu to her mother, she also ruminated on the interesting fact that he'd managed to bag his own wizard using nothing but a bit of brick, and an aim that rather shocked her. Not to mention a certain viciousness that she suspected might go some way toward explaining her own proclivities when pushed hard enough.
She'd heard plenty of stories of him playing cricket in school and university, and knew he had always said he was a very good fast bowler, but this was the first time she'd seen a practical use for that sort of skill. It made her both impressed and proud in a very odd way. And wonder what other intriguing abilities he and her mother might have that she was currently in the dark about…
Tom wandered back a little reluctantly at that point, having been casting uneasy glances their way, and asked if they'd decided on what they wanted. It didn't take long for everyone to place their orders, causing him to nod, then leave with alacrity once more. "I think I might be making that guy just a bit nervous," Skitter commented without expression in her voice, yet somehow conveying mild glee. Hermione wasn't sure how the other girl managed that, and was quite envious of the ability. It took genuine skill to come off that intimidating and emotionless. She took mental notes, thinking of various methods to achieve the same effect without having the odd super power her new friend did.
There were some intriguing possibilities bubbling at the back of her mind, she thought, but it would need research. Which was always good.
Hermione
liked research.
The group of people sat waiting quietly, busy with their own thoughts, and each like Hermione unwilling to start talking about the important things while everyone else in the room could hear them. Luckily, Tom came back quickly with the food, serving everyone from the tray that floated behind him, which made Skitter cock her head inquisitively for a moment. Hermione's parents had eaten here before when she and they had visited Diagon Alley and were familiar with the sight although her father as usual shook his head slightly in minor amusement. As soon as the barkeeper retreated again, wishing them a pleasant meal and appearing relieved that his part in the proceedings was safely over, Xeno pulled out his wand and flicked it even before Hermione could do much the same. A glimmering wall appeared around their table then faded out of visibility, making everyone look around curiously.
She noticed that all the other patrons seemed to instantly look confused and peer about, then seconds later return to their business with a somewhat perplexed air as if they were trying to recall something important and failing. Rather startled, she looked at Luna's father, who grinned at her. "An unusual version of a notice me not spell, covering a defined zone, combined with a number of privacy and silencing spells," he explained. "My late wife came up with it. It has its limitations, the main one being it can only be cast on a fixed location, rather than a person or a moving conveyance, but it's ideal for keeping conversations private," he explained to her raised eyebrow.
"I've never seen that combination before," Hermione commented admiringly, more than slightly impressed.
"It's a family spell," he replied, looking sad for a moment. "Quite complex to learn, too." He glanced at his daughter, then back to Hermione. "If you wish, I could teach it to you all. Friends of my daughter, especially ones who have stood beside her in battle, are people my wife would have felt worthy of her work."
Hermione met his eyes, then looked at Luna, who smiled faintly, then Harry who nodded respectfully to the man. "I believe we would be honored to learn anything you would like to teach us," she said quietly.
He nodded to her, then put his wand away. "Later, though. Here and now is hardly the best location or time."
"Agreed," Harry chuckled. "And I'm too hungry to learn spells in any case."
Luna's stomach growled from across the table and everyone, even Skitter, laughed. "Apparently Luna thinks the same," Hermione's father said with a smile.
"Part of me does!" the blonde said happily, picking up her knife and fork and starting in on her steak. Hermione shook her head with amusement and also began eating. Skitter seemed to think for a second, looked around, shrugged, and did whatever it was she did to make the fyre forming her intimidating mask flow back into the rest of her costume, without any external sign of how the trick was achieved.
Xeno Lovegood watched, his eyebrows up, then smiled widely. "Truly remarkable!" he stated. "It must make your wardrobe costs much more manageable."
Taylor laughed, the foreboding mien dropping away without trace, in the way Hermione had seen several times now. Left behind was a girl she felt was someone she genuinely liked even having only known her for less than twenty four hours, the Skitter persona put to the side for now. Taylor held out her hand to Xeno, who studied the fyre-glove cladding it, then shook it gravely without a hint of fear. "Taylor Hebert, Mr Lovegood. A pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you, my dear," he replied calmly and with a small smile. "Thank you for the trust you place in me. I suspect in your world your identity is a rare commodity, held jealously from most."
Taylor nodded. "That's true enough. For a number of reasons, some good, some not so much. But it's become tradition if nothing else, and protects people who aren't involved."
"I believe I understand the problem," Xeno said thoughtfully. "Your world may not have the Rotfang Conspiracy to deal with, yet I have little doubt similar problems are rife everywhere."
Giving him a slightly bemused look, Taylor nodded slowly, while Luna giggled silently next to her. Hermione stifled a small but affectionate sigh. Bizarre outlooks on life ran deep in the Lovegood family, that much was
abundantly obvious even having only met Luna's father half an hour ago…
She wondered what his wife had been like. Possibly
she had been the nominally sane one? Or, worryingly, was
he? In any case, Luna came by her quirks honestly, she was certain.
"So," Xeno went on as he picked up his fork and cast a glance around them all. "May I hear the no doubt fascinating story behind all…" He waved the fork around somewhat vaguely at them. "...this?"
Taylor met Hermione's eyes, before looking at Harry then Luna. She sighed faintly and began explaining, the others adding their own input when required, all of them enjoying the very good meal in the process.
It was a long dinner, it had to be said. And at the end of it Luna's father was not entirely happy about quite a number of things.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Hearing angry voices outside her office, raised in a way that meant someone, or multiple someones by the sound of it, were suffering a sense of humor failure, Amelia sighed heavily and put her quill down very deliberately on the desk. "Merlin, what
now?" she groaned as she got up to investigate. Before she could even round the desk, her door opened and two people she recognized with a sinking sensation burst into the room, followed closely by her assistant who looked both annoyed and flustered.
"I'm sorry, Madam Bones, they won't take my word that you're busy," the woman explained quickly, giving the pair an unfriendly stare, which they entirely ignored. She had her wand in her hand, not quite raised, but Amelia waved her off.
"That's fine, Janet, I can take it from here," she replied. Looking somewhat dubious her assistant nodded and left, closing the door behind her, not without giving Sirius Black and Remus Lupin another glare. Neither man seemed to notice.
"Well, gentlemen, I trust you have a good reason for bursting in on me like this?" she asked rather acidly, leaning back on her desk with her arms folded, one hand close to her hidden wand just in case although she didn't feel she was actually in any real danger. Both her unexpected guests looked angry but she got the impression it wasn't aimed at her. They at least had the minor grace to appear a little apologetic under the scowls.
"You could put it like that," Sirius growled, before Remus put his hand on his friend's arm warningly.
"We have some information you might not have, and probably need," the latter said after Sirius, with some faint mutters of protest, calmed down a little. "Sirius remembered something from his family library that has a bearing on what we heard from Harry and the others last night." She noticed he was holding a small book in one hand, a book that looked oddly menacing in a way she simply couldn't put into words. Feeling a sense of trepidation, she met their eyes for a few seconds, sighed again, and moved back behind her desk where she sat down heavily.
"Something from the Black library?" she said, shaking her head. "That does
not fill me with joy." Pointing at a couple of chairs, she waited until they sat down then leaned forward. "All right. I'm listening, even though I am absolutely up to my ears in work. This better be worth it."
"Oh, I think you'll agree it's worth it," Sirius growled, retrieving the book from Remus with a quick motion that his friend twitched at, then flicking through it rapidly until he found the page he was after. Also leaning forward in his seat, he handed it to her, Amelia taking it with a slight hesitation and some minor revulsion. It even
felt wrong…
Glancing at the first few lines she read them, then stopped, rewound, and read again more carefully. Struck by a sense of horrified disbelief, she kept reading, turning the pages, until she'd absorbed the entire ghastly thing. When she looked up both men were watching her with knowing gazes.
"Fucking hell," she whispered.
"Sound familiar?" Sirius asked with deep sarcasm, to which she could only nod numbly. "That arsehole was at one and the same time brilliant and possibly the stupidest wizard I've ever heard of. And if we're right, we might not have seen the last of the bastard even now."
"Horcrux?" Amelia turned back to the beginning of the chapter and looked at the page blankly but with a growing sense of fury. "I've never heard of that before seeing this. And I wish I hadn't heard of it
now."
"My family knew all too many revolting things," Sirius sighed, running his hand through his hair and appearing deeply angry. "As Remus has told me, they were fucking lunatics. I'm the
sane one, believe me." He half-grinned at her skeptical look. "Yeah. Worrying, isn't it?"
She couldn't help chuckling for a moment, then looked down at the book in her hand again. Struck with a sudden revulsion she dropped it onto her desk and pushed it away. "I can't say I've ever considered either one of you sane," she quipped, "but I'll take whatever you are over what the person who wrote
this was any day of the week."
Both the others smiled a little. Her own small momentary amusement faded as she looked at the book. "He knew, didn't he?" Raising her eyes she met theirs.
"I can't see how he didn't," Remus replied with a scowl. "He's over a hundred years old and the amount of knowledge he's picked up over his life must be incredible. If he didn't know for sure, he must have at least
suspected. And after that diary that possessed Ginny Weasley…" He shrugged. "I can't see how he couldn't have realized that something was extremely wrong with the whole situation. So even if he didn't know about
that before…" The man indicated the ghastly book. "...he must have had enough of a clue afterwards to be able to find out about it. After all, it only took Sirius about an hour or so to dig that up. Yes, the Black library probably is one of the very few places you
could find that sort of information so fast, but Dumbledore has a lot of resources neither of
us do. I doubt he'd have had too much trouble."
"Yet he didn't say a thing to anyone," Sirius grumbled, clenching his hands together like he wished some ancient scrawny neck was between them. "He's not a curse breaker. Nor an Unspeakable. There are
experts on this sort of problem, so why didn't he talk to them?"
"In his defense, there were, and may still be, major security holes in the Ministry," Amelia pointed out, although she wasn't disagreeing. "Some of the names that came to light last night and since then are concerning. He may have had valid reasons."
"That's irrelevant," Remus commented, not looking happy. "Certainly I'd agree that it might potentially have been a problem trusting the Ministry. But he's Albus bloody
Dumbledore. I'm absolutely certain he could have called in help from outside the British establishment who would have had suitable expertise and would have gladly aided in dealing with Riddle. The French, the Bulgarians… Even the Japanese. But he kept the entire thing to himself, and when Harry mentioned that bloody prophecy he nearly went for his wand! What the hell is going on?"
Leaning back Amelia pondered his comment. The man was right, of course. Dumbledore, with his connections in every wizarding enclave on the planet, undoubtedly had the wherewithal to bring in experts on almost any subject one cared to name. Yet on the face of it he'd spoken to absolutely no one about
any of this. And that was added to by all the other problems that had come to light in the last day or so, problems she'd not had the first inkling of even though every one of them was specifically and squarely under her remit to be involved in.
They were right. Something stunk about all this, even beyond the stench that had been there before. This sort of situation was the sort of thing that brought down governments and killed people in quantities she didn't like to contemplate.
Just like the first time Riddle had gone feral. They'd lost so many people during
that chaotic time of evil it would take a century to rebuild, and then the bastard
tried again! If it hadn't been for the accidental summoning of the most disturbing young woman Amelia had ever encountered, they could be on the verge of round two, which might be enough to end them all.
She'd thought it was done for, after Skitter got through with being upset, and now she was learning that there was the distinct possibility that it could happen again. Because…
"He could have made more than one, couldn't he?" she queried with a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.
Remus and Sirius exchanged a look, then turned back to her. The former sighed. "That was exactly what I wondered when I read that obscene thing," he replied quietly. "I couldn't see anything in the ritual that set a limit on how many someone could make, aside from the little matter of it splitting your soul into pieces. I have no idea how many times you can even
do that. I don't think
anyone does. Do you keep dividing it by two? Do you just knock off a chip? Does it regenerate? Who the hell knows?" He shook his head. "For all we know he could have made dozens of the bloody things."
"That's probably unlikely, I
think, from the very limited amount of knowledge I have of this sort of thing," Sirius put in, causing them both to look at him. "I don't know much, I'll admit, but I learned some things in my childhood that would turn your stomach." He looked green enough as he recalled whatever he was thinking about that Amelia entirely believed him. "I
suspect there's a practical, if not an absolute, limit. And it's probably a fairly low but magically significant number. Three, five, or seven would be my immediate guess, although I could be wrong of course."
"Which is still a higher number than I like, which is one," Amelia complained. "One that's been destroyed. That would be a much preferable thought than there being up to six more of the fucking things somewhere out there."
"Can't disagree," Black replied with a nod of resignation. "But I think we have to work on the basis that there
might be more."
"The question is what do we do about it even if we're right?" Remus asked, looking between them.
All three were silent for some time as they thought.
"The obvious solution is to ask Skitter to deal with them," Amelia finally said somewhat hesitantly.
"Which does somewhat run aground on the small issue of
finding the things," Sirius pointed out with a level of irritation she fully agreed with. "We don't know for certain that they even exist in the first place."
"Unfortunately true," she sighed. "Damn it all. If it's not one problem it's an even
bigger problem."
"It occurs to me that it's possible that Skitter might have
already dealt with them," Remus commented slowly and thoughtfully, making the other two exchange curious glances then turn to him.
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked with interest, leaning forward again.
"Well, the theory behind fiendfyre is that it destroys
everything, even the soul," Remus went on, sounding like he was working this out as he spoke. "That's why it's so horrifically dangerous, of course. It's almost literally hellfire. Possibly
actually literally hellfire. According to that book, it's also one of the only two known methods to destroy a horcrux, in fact. The other one being basilisk venom, as Harry found out." Sirius shuddered at his friend's words and Amelia couldn't blame him, the story the Potter lad had recounted was enough to give anyone nightmares.
"And she took out Voldemort with fiendfyre," Sirius continued for Remus, appearing to understand his friend's point. "Destroying him utterly, including whatever it was he used in place of a soul."
"Exactly. The question then is… does destroying
part of a soul destroy the
whole soul, or is each part self-contained? At least when stored in a horcrux?
He went up like a firework, but did any fragments of him also go
fwoomp, or are they still lurking safely hidden away somewhere we won't find until it's too late?" Remus looked at both of them, as they considered his words.
"It deeply worries me that I have no idea," Amelia said after another long pause.
"Nor me," Sirius sighed. "Damn it. We might be worrying about nothing, or there might be a ticking clock counting down to yet another dark lunatic trying to ruin things for everyone."
"Oh, trust me, we're
always counting down to
that," Amelia snarled. "We have an overabundance of idiots who want power and lack scruples. I'd just prefer it if the
next one wasn't the
same bloody one three times in a row!"
"You and me both," Sirius agreed. He leaned over and retrieved his book, tapping it on his knee thoughtfully. "Unfortunately nothing I know of in here gives any clue about this problem, and I'm not sure who would both know and admit to it. If
anyone does, for that matter. I have no idea if anyone else was ever stupid enough to make more than one of the damned things. And we don't know if
he did. We're just assuming he
might have done."
"Which is the only safe assumption," Remus added, making Sirius nod, and Amelia sigh heavily.
"Unfortunately I can't disagree," she grumbled. "I'll have to ask the mad bastards downstairs, I suppose. One of them might know."
"What about the goblins?" Remus suggested. "They're the ones who almost have a monopoly on curse breakers."
"Ah… That might be a touch… tricky," Amelia replied after a moment or two. "They're somewhat preoccupied right now…"
Her guests stared at her, then at each other, clearly wondering what she meant. After a few seconds, though, Sirius's mouth twitched. "Oh, Merlin. Skitter got her reward, didn't she?"
Amelia nodded ruefully, causing him to start laughing. "I wish I'd seen that. Let me guess, they decided to be goblins at her and she took exception to that."
"Essentially," she admitted with a small and it had to be said slightly vindictive grin. She'd also been tempted more than once to do something violent to a goblin. They tended to bring that out in people. And from what she'd seen, even in each other quite a lot of the time. Skitter was probably the only person who could get away with it though.
"Is Gringott's still there?" Remus asked somewhat worriedly although he also looked a little amused.
"Most of it. They're going to need a new door though," she replied, snorting with laughter. Sirius stared at her then collapsed into a fit of giggles. Remus's eyes widened.
"She blew the bloody doors off?" he asked in disbelief.
Shrugging, she replied, "Not so much '
off' as '
through.' There's a hole you could drive a nundu through in them. I don't even want to think about how much power that took, but it didn't stop her."
"Are there any goblins left alive?" Sirius, still snickering, asked.
"To be fair she was remarkably restrained all things considered. My information is that none of them was much more than lightly toasted. Although there was quite a toll in weapons and armor. And pride, I imagine," she said, shaking her head. "I rather get the impression that if she ever has reason to go back they're going to be
excessively polite."
"I knew I liked that girl for a reason," Sirius grinned. "Creepy as hell but she's got
style."
"That is indeed one way to put it, and not the first time someone has said it in this very office." she agreed dryly. "I suspect the goblins have another word though. Or several."
His grin widened, until he finally seemed to get over it. Remus was shaking his head in respect and amusement. "You were as terrified of her as I was, you arsehole," he pointed out. Sirius shrugged, still smiling.
"Of course I was terrified of her. I still am. That's just common bloody sense, she's probably the single most dangerous whatever she is in the entire world. But I still like her, if only because she wiped out Malfoy and my insane cousin never mind all those other idiots. I can live with some slight existential terror if I know they're gone for good."
Remus nodded reflectively, while Amelia couldn't help thinking the man had a point too. "I can't disagree, I have to admit," the other man replied after a second or so.
The three of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, trying to think of what to do with the problem represented by the small and unnerving book sitting in the middle of Amelia's desk, until there was a tap at her door. Sirius and Remus looked around as she called, with some irritation, "What is it now, Janet?"
The door opened to reveal not Janet, but a genial expression buried in a large white beard atop robes whose clashing colors tended to make even wizards wince a little at times. "Amelia, I'm sorry to bother you, but…" Dumbledore took one step inside the office before he appeared to realize who else was there, his eyes narrowing slightly when he spotted Sirius glaring at him. "Sirius, my boy! What brings you and Remus here? I do hope you've recovered from your ordeal last night." His jovial voice belied the calculating look he still had.
Leaning back Amelia motioned to him to come in, looking past him at her assistant who was hovering in the background seeming torn between worry and annoyance. She nodded slightly and Janet nodded back, then closed the door behind the old wizard. Even as this happened, he'd conjured a comfortable armchair in front of her desk and sat down in it in a display of magic that was impressive as well as a touch insulting considering she had two more perfectly good chairs unoccupied already.
Sirius met her eyes, glanced at Remus who shrugged as he returned the look, then reached out to recover his book from the desk. Dumbledore peered curiously at it, then his gaze sharpened suspiciously. Clearly about to ask something about the tome, he half-turned his head towards her when Amelia cleared her throat. It was time to get some answers, in her opinion.
"What do you know about horcruxes, Albus?" she asked in a deliberately mild voice, her expression as calm as she could make it, and found herself maliciously amused at the way his head snapped around so sharply she distinctly heard his neck click. His eyes widened and his face under the whiskers paled quite satisfactorily.
"Where did you hear that term?" he demanded rapidly, his voice harsh with worry.
"Information was brought to my attention by a concerned citizen," she replied, meeting his suddenly very intent gaze with her own. "And I can't help wondering why it is that someone of your vast experience in many matters didn't see fit to mention that Tom Riddle's diary, the book that caused a Morgana-damned
basilisk to be released into
Hogwarts,
had a fragment of Voldemort's soul bound in it!" Her voice rose to a shout for the last few words, the sound echoing around the room for a moment.
He stared at her in total shock, then seemed to age a decade in seconds.
They watched him for a moment, exchanging a mutual glance as he appeared to be trying to work out what to say, until Remus asked in a very quiet voice that nevertheless held distinct menace, "How many more did he make?"
Dumbledore turned to look at him, stared at the book Sirius was holding for a second or two, then sighed, rubbing the side of his nose with his finger and appearing every one of his hundred and some years of age. "I don't know. More than one, I believe, but I'm not certain of the total number." Pointing at the book, he added, "Where did you get that from? I was unaware that any copies remained. I fervently
hoped they didn't."
Sirius looked, appropriately enough, blackly amused. "My family has a long history of collecting things that shouldn't exist," he replied, shrugging. "And I remembered something this morning. Unfortunately I was right."
The old man nodded tiredly. "Unfortunately indeed."
There was quiet for a few moments, then Amelia, mindful of the respect the ancient wizard deserved for many reasons, yet simultaneously utterly fed up with absolutely everything involving him and his plans because so
many things were wrong with all this, stated, "I want an explanation. This time, don't hold back. I want to know
all the story, and don't press your luck, because I am
not in the mood for your games. It's gone far,
far past that point. Don't make me get the veritaserum out, Albus, because if you do I
will use it."
He nodded with a sort of resigned acceptance, even as he looked at the other two then her in an inquiring manner. She didn't even wait for him to say anything. "They stay. This involves Potter and as his godfather Sirius has a right to know. And they're the ones who brought this to my attention in the first place." She leaned forward and put her elbows on her desk, folding her hands together, and peered at him over them. "You may begin."
Looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here, Albus gathered his thoughts, then started speaking, while his audience listened carefully.
It took quite a long time, all things considered, and by the time he finally finished, she was having severe difficulty restraining herself from calling him the smartest fool she'd ever even heard of.
Even while Sirius and Remus were taking turns pointing out with extreme fury all the places he'd cocked up, she was thinking hard about how all this fitted together with all the
other oddities surrounding Hogwarts and trying to make it cohere into something she could understand.
Because if she was certain about
anything any more, it was that there was a lot more to the whole situation than was obvious…
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Everyone else at the table, where they'd more or less finished the meal, watched Xeno Lovegood think. Luna glanced at her friends, all of them having explained what had happened from their own points of view, and Taylor adding her own information along with some background of her world for context. Hermione was looking thoughtful too, knowing her probably rethinking everything that had happened in an attempt to wring more out the experience, something she'd probably manage. Harry was idly pushing a pea around on his plate with his fork, his eyes distant, and she felt a pang of worry for her friend. He had had a rather unpleasant time of it for far too long and last night was something that she was certain would give him nightmares for quite a while.
She knew full well it was going to do that to
her, even though the outcome had been about as good, if strange, as it could possibly have been.
And what had happened earlier on the street…
That was going to be something she'd have a hard time forgetting. If it hadn't been for Taylor…
Luna shivered slightly, remembering the strong hand on her shoulder fractions of a second before something undoubtedly lethal had zoomed right through where she'd been standing a moment before. It had taken her a few seconds to fully get to grips with what was going on, having hoped that people trying to kill them was a one-off, and when she'd seen her father in action alongside Harry and Hermione, she'd felt an unusual level of fury that those horrible bastards were trying
again.
On one level she was slightly ashamed that she'd let her anger drive her to use such a lethal spell, on another she was somewhat impressed with how well it had worked, on yet another she told herself that the man had already been dead by the time her effort had hit what was left of him, and on most of the rest she was just glad none of the people she cared about had been hurt. And even with all the complex emotions surrounding the whole thing, she knew in her heart that she'd do it again without hesitation should anyone else attack them. Because, like she suspected Hermione and Harry were, she was absolutely
done with letting Death Eaters get away with anything at all.
Skitter had the right idea; Give them a chance to walk away, eliminate them without mercy when they rejected that chance. Because if you didn't, they'd be back sooner or later.
She knew her father had essentially the exact same mindset when it came to that sort of person. He'd lived through the darkest time in recent history and seen far too many of his friends not make it, and even though he'd never really spoken of that period of his life to her since he didn't want to cause her distress, she'd overheard enough of what he and her mother had spoken about late at night when they thought she was asleep to have a much better idea of what it had been like than he probably realized.
The blonde was very proud of her parents, and wished her mother was still around so she could tell her that. She was certain the older woman would have been entirely fine with what both she and her father had done today.
And find Taylor absolutely
fascinating. As well as approve of her very much.
"I believe I will need to have a few words with Albus at some point," her father commented quietly, reaching out to pick up his mug and finish off the contents, before he put it back down with a deliberate care that told Luna he was in fact so furious he'd gone right through the other side to eerily calm. "I can't help feel that Hogwarts has fallen below the standards I feel suitable for any child, never mind my daughter." His voice was completely level but Hermione's parents exchanged looks that suggested they were just as aware as Luna was about his true level of anger.
"We felt much the same, Xeno," Richard said after a moment. "I expressed as much to Amelia Bones this morning."
Hermione emitted a small snort of slight amusement, her own mother doing almost exactly the same thing at the same moment, which made Luna grin and Taylor snicker it was so synchronized. Clearly mother and daughter shared more than appearance in many ways.
"You tore strips off that poor woman for nearly an hour, dear," Jennifer put in with a mild sigh. Richard looked slightly embarrassed but unrepentant. "I was feeling somewhat sorry for her by the end. From what I can see it's not Madam Bones who is to blame for all this."
"I may have gone a little overboard, I admit," her husband replied with a slight grimace. "I was… not particularly pleased. And she was a target of opportunity. I probably owe her an apology at some point."
"Amelia is a good woman and someone I trust more than almost anyone else in the Ministry," Xeno remarked, appearing thoughtful. "She is surprisingly uninfested by wrackspurts, considering where she works."
Luna watched Hermione give him one of her looks, one she was very familiar with, combining tolerance and amusement. Meeting her friend's eyes, she smiled a little, getting a quick smirk back. Hermione, she thought, might express disbelief in many of the things she talked about, but she was well aware her friend was far less dismissive of such things than she pretended to be. It was their own little game, which both enjoyed playing. If only because the expressions on most other people were hilarious…
The two adult Grangers looked slightly baffled but didn't say anything. Taylor looked at Luna's father with an eyebrow up, then shook her head a little, seeming to find the whole thing a bit funny. "She struck me as someone who is trying to do the right thing," the older girl remarked as she finished the last of her bread.
"She is," Xeno acknowledged with a nod. "Against all the odds. The Ministry is remarkably corrupt in more ways than most people even realize. Poor Amelia has had her work cut out for her for far too long. Hopefully your rather dramatic interruption to the status quo will help her fix some of the more intractable problems she faces." He was still radiating a sort of calm fury, but Luna could see he was slowly becoming less upset. "That will still leave a large number of issues that require some rectification, the situation surrounding Hogwarts being one of the larger ones, of course, but one thing at a time."
"We've decided to keep Hermione home for the rest of the term, and Madam Bones and Harry both agreed that it would be best if he also stayed with us," Jennifer said after they'd been silent for a little while. Luna's father looked at them, then Harry and Hermione, before nodding understanding. "It seemed the best thing to do while she deals with various problems, and I suspect Headmaster Dumbledore may well be somewhat too busy for the foreseeable future to be very effective at his job anyway. Losing the remainder of the term shouldn't cause any concern over their scholastic pursuits since it's such a short time."
"That does seem sensible," Xeno replied. He glanced at Luna, who smiled at him. "I believe I will do the same. Are you all right with that, my little pumpkin?"
"Of course, Daddy," she replied. "I was going to ask if we could do that anyway. I don't want to be at Hogwarts if Harry and Hermione aren't there, especially with all the people whose parents were Death Eaters still around. I think it's going to get…" She paused, then shook her head sadly. "Very loud," she finished with a shiver.
He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, smiling down at her. "You certainly don't have to go back if you don't want to." Putting her hand over his, she smiled back at him.
"Thank you."
Glancing at Hermione, she then looked at her friend's parents for a moment, who were watching her, then back to Hermione. The older girl nodded very slightly, clearly immediately deducing what she was thinking. "Err… Daddy?"
He smiled. "If it's all right with the Grangers, you may stay with them again tonight, Luna. Being with your friends after battle is a good idea."
Taylor nodded slowly, as if she knew exactly what he meant. She suspected the other girl was more aware of this than most people. Richard and Jennifer looked at each other, then Richard shrugged with a smile. Jennifer smiled back and turned to both Lovegoods. "We'd love to have Luna stay again if she wants," the woman said. "We have plenty of room, she's welcome to stay any time she'd like."
"That is uncommonly generous of you both," Luna's father replied, looking pleased. "Thank you. Our house is somewhat remote, and while it's in a beautiful location, I do admit it's possibly not ideal for a young girl recovering from her first life and death battle."
"Those do always put something of a strain on one," Taylor commented with a completely deadpan face, causing Hermione to start giggling and cover her face with her hands while Harry grinned and Luna just shook her head. Hermione's parents just shook their heads in unison although they seemed to find the remark funny too.
"Well, in that case I suppose we should probably think about leaving soon, as while it's not a long drive home, we'll still be fairly late back," Richard said with a look at his watch. "Perhaps you'd like to pop over tomorrow and talk more, Xeno?" He looked at Luna's father, who nodded.
"I think that is probably wise," he responded. "I will have to consider what I've learned tonight. Much about all this is still somewhat inexplicable and bears thinking on."
"It's completely daft even in wizarding terms," Hermione complained. "Nothing about this makes any sense."
"I can't disagree," he nodded, glancing at her. "Even my own deductions would appear to be insufficient to explain the whole situation. Clearly I've missed something important."
"Clearly," Hermione commented wryly, making him grin at her. He seemed to approve of her, if Luna was any judge.
No one said anything for a few moments, although Harry finally ate the now-cold pea he'd been worrying for some time, then put his fork down. Everyone else had finished their meals as well. Xeno was rubbing the pendant he wore around his neck between finger and thumb with a thoughtful expression on his face, staring at nothing, while Luna and the others watched, until he finally shook his head and lowered his hand. He looked at Taylor, who met his eyes. "Again, thank you for what you've done, Taylor," he said in a low voice. "Both for my daughter, and all of us."
"It was my pleasure, Xeno," she assured him. "Although I'll admit parts of the last day or so have been annoying. But overall it's been a learning experience."
He glanced at her fyre jacket and raised an eyebrow, making her grin slyly. "So I can see," he replied dryly. "I would like to talk to you about various matters at some point. Not tonight, I think we've all probably gotten to the point we'd like to rest, but soon. I suspect you hold the answers to a number of questions I've wondered about for a long time, and I am fairly sure I've also got information you might find interesting."
The slender brunette studied him with a quizzical look for a few seconds, her eyes dropping to examine his pendant briefly, before raising to meet his again. She nodded. "I believe I'd like that," she replied quietly.
Slightly puzzled, Luna looked at Hermione, who was watching closely, the other girl shrugging after a moment. Neither of them could quite read the subtext although both were certain it was there. Somehow.
Producing his wand, Luna's father waited until Taylor made her fyre go back to the Skitter mask, then flicked it. The strange privacy spell he'd cast earlier vanished with a faint pop more felt that heard and the rest of the people in the room seemed to suddenly realize they were there again, causing a number of them to twitch violently and one poor man to leap to his feet clutching at his chest, scream weakly, and dash out without paying Tom. Everyone else watched him go, before deciding it was best not to get involved and going back to what they'd been doing, although not without casting surreptitious glances at Luna's friends and family. It was really rather funny, she thought.
Xeno motioned to Tom, who hurried over rather nervously. "I trust the meal was satisfactory?" he inquired.
"As always, my friend," Xeno replied cheerfully, handing him some galleons. "Thank you."
"Thank
you," Tom replied, accepting the coins with a smile and a quick weighing of them in his hand before he slipped them into his pocket. "Did any of you want anything else?"
"I think we're finished, thanks," Richard said with a glance at the others.
"My treat," Xeno added as the other man opened his mouth after turning to him. Hermione's father closed his mouth again. "It's the least I can do after you've been so good to my dearest daughter, after all."
"Well… if you're sure," Richard remarked.
"Entirely, my dear fellow. My pleasure." They exchanged smiles, everyone standing up. Tom moved off to deal with another patron who waved for his attention, leaving them alone.
Jennifer pulled out a small card and handed it to Luna's father, who accepted it with curiosity and examined it closely. "Our address," she explained. "Will you have trouble finding it?"
Xeno shook his head with a smile. "No, I should be able to locate it without too much effort," he replied easily. "I may not live in the mundane world, but my wife took me there on many occasions and I'm fairly familiar with how things work. It's fascinating to see how non-magical people solve problems compared to how magical ones do, to be honest. I have considered writing an article about it many times, but I fear that even my audience isn't particularly well equipped to understand such matters as well as they should be." He sighed faintly. "The lack of intellectual curiosity in the public is far too common," he added sadly.
"That seems to be the case regardless of magical ability," Richard said with a look of understanding. "Human nature, I expect."
"Likely the case," Luna's father nodded. "Ah well. But in any case, I shall have little trouble visiting you. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon, about two?"
"That's fine," Jennifer replied.
Her father thought for a moment, then turned to Luna. "It would probably be sensible for you to come home briefly and collect whatever you need to stay at the Grangers before you go back with them, since we can take the floo right now," he said. Luna nodded, as it was a sensible suggestion.
"Of course, Daddy," she replied. Turning to Hermione and the others she added, "We won't be long. Is that all right?"
"It's no problem, Luna," Hermione's mother answered before the girl could, making Hermione look at her and nod. "We're not in a tearing hurry. We can wait."
"Thank you," Luna replied gratefully. She followed her father as he headed for the fireplace, the man nodding to the others and getting a wave from both Harry and Hermione. Skitter watched with interest as he took a pinch of floo powder and activated the floo, before vanishing into the flames. Looking back at her friends, Luna waved and followed, feeling pleased with the way things were going even over the thought of the ramifications and horror of recent events.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Watching Luna and her dad literally jump into a burning fire to teleport home, Taylor shook her head. Whizzies were
very weird.
She was going to have some
really strange stories for her dad and friends when she got back…
But as long as she was here, she might as well enjoy herself, and Xeno seemed like someone who could tell her all sorts of useful things. That pendant of his… she'd read about something that looked awfully like that in one of the older books she'd acquired, and was quite curious to find out whether the information was in any way accurate.
It had some interesting possibilities one way or the other, she felt. And information was always good to acquire.
A sensation of agreement from her power made her smile slightly, and the even larger thing behind that was watching with curious interest. While they waited for Luna to return, she kept some of her attention on everyone in the area, some outside in the mundane world, and quite a lot far below where a vastly complex ecosystem entirely unlike anything on the surface went about its business, parts of it watching her as well.
She was going to have to come back fairly soon and do more investigating of the lower levels of London, she thought. But before that, she needed to figure out how to go about acquiring some very large spiders…
Taylor had
ideas for
them.
